The Shifter
by Cola320
Summary: an exiled race, deformed in the eyes of our city, a chance to redeem ourselves. is it possible?  Rated T to be safe. a bit of romance and the story we all know and love.
1. Beginnings

**Ok, i know its been a long time since ive been on here submitting a story and some of you may be a little upset over the whole coming back thing, but i am going to TRY and finish this one. i apologize ahead of time if this doesn't follow the movies or the books exactly whereas im still reading the books and im not about to sit through a three hour movie just to get the dialouge-i dont really care if i spelled that right- down to the exact little breath between each sentence said. and i may switch up character deaths and everything. like the time or whatever. oh, and no promises about regularly updating cause anyone who was on track with my other story knows it aint gonna happen. sorry if it's a bit confusing, i get my stories cause i write them, but i know some of ya'll out there- past reviews and i thank you for that- find some of my crap confusin.**

**sorry for any mispellings blah, blah, blah. here's the story.**

**Disclaimer: i dont own anything other than my OCs. although i do wish sometimes about legolas...**

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><p>I could see the Nazgul and the horrible demon-like shadow-horses they were riding beside me, their screeches maddeningly loud. I had to get to the other side of the river first. I had to protect the elvish rider there crouched next to the dieing Halfling.<p>

I could sense the border of great city of Rivendell in the distance, but I feared I would not make it. I wasn't afraid of the Nazgul, no. I was afraid of what the elves would do to me when I returned to my home, Rivendell.

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><p>You see, I, along with the rest of my kind, were banished almost five thousand years ago. The elves then were less knowledgeable and were afraid of us then. I do not know what is to await me, but I will brave it.<p>

My kind, we can sense the ring, I guess you could say we are connected to it. We could feel it when the ring was lost, and we could feel it when the ring was found by two Halflings. We could feel it when it took over the mind of the poor creature Smeagle, when it made him kill his companion, when the ring was dropped and another Halfling found it. We can feel each creature's want for it if they are near it, it is because of this connection and our hatred of the ring that it hates us.

My kind, we are Moraes or Shifters. Elves, that something changed within us and made us what we are. We had something extra, something that other elves did not. We are faster, stronger, have more acute senses, and are able to change form. We saw this as a gift, the elders saw it as a threat. We were banished, all of us were from the same generation, merely a few hundred years old at the time. There weren't many of us, only nine of us including myself. There had been more, but some of us were killed when our powers were discovered.

We sought the help of many people, but they were also afraid and tried to kill us. With our lack of training, we quickly found out that we cannot die. Mortal weapons did not pierce our skin and charms and spells did not work if they were meant harm to us. Although, we never came into contact with a Morgul blade or the Immortal blades that the Nazgul also carry, which never rust or shatter.

Finally we found a kind old wizard, he helped us master our powers. His name, was Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey, we called him although he had many names. We set out on our own adventures. Traveling Middle Earth, but we always returned back to what we considered our home, Gandalf's cabin deep in the forest of Mirkwood; he hardly ever used it nor was it ever mentioned to anyone outside of our group.

We also found a few others to help train us. Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. Bilbo Baggins of The Shire. Elrond Halfelven, lord of Imladris and the great elven city of Rivendell. All of them assisted us and were kind to us.

Gandalf traveled many a time and was hardly ever home, but we always managed to track him down for a good supper and story-telling around a huge bonfire.

After almost a thousand years of roaming aimlessly, it was clear we needed someone to be our leader, to tell us where to go and when to be there. For some strange reason, they chose me. They said I was the fastest, strongest, and oldest of them all. I was the oldest, but only by a decade or so.

Throughout all this, we could feel the ring passing hands. Until a one hundred and eleven year old Bilbo Baggins decided it was time to pass the ring on to his nephew, Frodo Baggins. We could sense the time of the ring on Middle Earth was almost up, so we made our way near Rivendell, to where we knew the ring would end up eventually. At one point, we could feel Gandalf's presence through the ring, but it disappeared within a few days. Then a few days after, we could feel the presence of a king. A self-exiled king. I knew who is was, for he and I had met and had become good friends. Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor.

A week later, we heard a horse coming fast towards us. I climbed a tree and looked out over the forest. There was a horse galloping as fast as it could toward Rivendell, but still the rider spurred it on. The Nazgul were close behind on their shadow-horses.

I had leapt on my own horse and rode out towards the rider. I shouted back to my people not to follow. They obeyed.

I distracted the Nazgul and quickly traded horses with her, as hers looked worn. I sent her ahead with the rested horse galloping at full speed toward Rivendell. I skidded to a halt on my own horse and dismounted, sending my horse away and shifting into a wolf, the size of a warg. **(not a warg, but a regular wolf.)** and standing in the path of the Nazgul. They all skidded to a stop sensing that I was not a normal wolf. I growled at them, giving the Elvin rider a head-start.

"Move she-wolf. We have business ahead." one of them hissed, I growled in response.

"So be it, we will trample you." it hissed again, and the shadow-horses roared with malice. They reared and I attacked then, clawing at the horses' underbellies and legs. They tried to trample me, but I was too quick under them and soon they were all neighing with fury and hatred.

I howled and took off following the trail of the rider, my speed equaling that of a warg. I had to get across the river first. I sped up, barely keeping ahead of the Nazgul and their angered horses. We raced to the river and soon I could see it, I sped up still.

We reached the river and the Nazgul faltered at the water's edge while I thundered across it. I saw the Elvin rider and her dieing charge. She looked up, terror in her eyes, but the terror wasn't from the Nazgul, it was from me. I skidded to a stop in front of her and sniffed the Halfling, I could smell the poison of a Morgul blade. And I could sense the presence of the ring on this small man.

I turned and trotted back to the water's edge. I growled tauntingly at them, silently daring them to come and get me. They took the bait and urged their shadow-horses out into the middle of the river, I howled and a roar could be heard from up-river. A huge wave shaped like galloping horses tore over the shallow river and washed away the Nazgul and their evil horses.

I turned to the elf, she was whispering to the Halfling in elvish. I slowly trotted up to her and sniffed her, she had the scent of Rivendell. So she was Lord Elrond's daughter, Lady Arwen Evenstar of the last homely house. She turned to me.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

'_An outcast_,' I spoke into her mind. '_a she-elf of long ago, lost and forgotten along with the rest of my people. Doomed to walk this earth for eternity, for being different. For being _ourselves_,'_ and with that I trotted off into the forest.

_-o-o-0-o-o-_

A while later, when I was back near the grounds where my people were resting, I shifted back into my elvish form and called out to them. They came galloping on their horses.

"Si min cor car shael thyl. Shi vode sai Rivendell!" (The one ring has been found. We ride to Rivendell!) I shouted, they cheered. They took off and I grabbed hold of one of the horses flying past and swung myself on behind the rider. I looked and saw it was my sister, Alanah. She smiled back at me and rode on.

Alanah _is_ my sister but the only thing we have in common is our eyes, which are a silver-ish color. It looks unnatural but when a strong emotion- like anger or grief- took us over, they looked almost black or grey, depending on the severity of the emotion.

I have a dark chocolate color to my hair, a darker skin tone than that of a regular elf, and am a bit shorter than my sister. Alanah, however has golden hair, fair skin, and is a small bit taller then myself.

We arrived in Rivendell within the day, I told everyone except Alanah and Esther to let their horses loose outside the gate; I also asked Hatham for his horse and he handed me the reins. I turned to them.

"Ai olia shal Alanah eil Esther sai tysti shor ti. Si vaer os o, codi ail si saer eil eirdar os vaeres ."(I only want Alanah and Esther to come with me. The rest of you, hide in the trees and await our return. ) I called. Alanah and Esther walked towards me, leading their horses, as the rest ran into the trees.

"Shar eisi shi sai pai oli ailodi, tia thol?"( what are we to do once inside, my friend?) Esther asked me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Shi mael Lord Elrond. Eiraes sar, ai pai byr cyrn."(we seek Lord Elrond. After that, I do not know.) I answered her. She nodded and together we mounted our horses and rode towards the gates.

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><p><strong>hope ya'll liked it, cause that's the reason i'm postin this. for the readers ( which is you, in case you don't know ;D )<strong>

**so tell me if you liked it, hated it, wished it would burn in you know where. and you do that by- all together now- REVIEWING!**

**Cola320**


	2. Little Elven Girl

**ok, its like, almost one in the morning and i am not tired. my neurologist told me to get a lot of sleep, but im just not tired at the moment. so i typed this and here is is. sorry for any mistakes, it is almost one am. :D the elvish in here is most likely NOT Tolkien elvish - i will try to use some of the elvish i remember from the movie - its from this interactive translator i found. the other stuff that was tolkien didnt have all the words i was looking for. so, sorry bout that. **

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><p>We rode through the city, I had to admit, it was quite beautiful but now was not the time to sightsee. We rode up to a dark-haired Elven girl, merely ten years of age, and dismounted, letting our horses go. They cantered off into the forest, but they would come back when we called them.<p>

"Caelai, shar'm os basti, jhori oli?" (hello, what's your name, little one?) I asked the little elf.

"Abigail." she replied.

"Tal o saji lar sai Lord Elrond?" (can you take us to Lord Elrond?) I asked the little girl, Abigail.

"Or, thylyrn ti." ( yes, follow me.) she told us, walking off in the direction of the palace.

"Sal o, jhori oli." ( thank you, little one.) Alanah told her as she led us through the city and into the palace. I looked to Esther, she was looking around in awe. We had not been here for almost ten thousand years.

The elves we passed gave us odd looks. The tunics we wore were tattered and our leggings were very thin, if not also torn. Our undershirts, however, were still very new; we had just stolen them from a group of orcs traveling back from an obvious battle which they either won or escaped with some of the opposing side's belongings, the latter being the more likely.

Abigail took us into the palace and up many stairs, she took us through hallway after hallway until we reached a huge door. Alanah and Esther looked down the hallway that we had not reached, it led straight out into the sunlight and afternoon air. We could smell the trees not far beyond the bridge that vaulted over a river some mile or so down, a waterfall clinging to the mountain behind the bridge if one were to turn to look out over the city.

"Sor air Lord Elrond's media, o shor thol cos ailodi."(this is Lord Elrond's study, you will find him inside.) Abigail told us.

"Sal o, tia mar thol, shi eidolori air baesia tes mai." (thank you, my small friend, we appreciate it very much so.) Esther told the small elf, Abigail smiled and nodded before walking back through the palace.

"Eisi o vaedia?" (are you ready?) Alanah asked Esther and I.

"Bai, cyrn eirdyr o?" (no, how about you?) Esther looked at us.

"Byr ail si jhaer, jhaer'm kai." (not in the least, let's go) I said to them, they both smiled a bit before I reached out and knocked on the heavy wooden door.

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><p><strong>thanks for reading. reveiw and tell me what ya think. <strong>

**ok. i wont be updatin till i get at least two to three more reviews from two differnt ppl. srry to ppl out there whove already reviewd ( i am truly srry but i cannot for the life of me remember ur name at the moment.) if i dont get anynore reviews by the end of this week, i will go ahead and post it for the sake of my sole reviewer and no one else. i know other ppl will read it but jst know tht if not for tht person i cannot currently remember their name u wouldnt have it at all. so there. :P so othrs review if you want a sooner update. **

**also my computer is down at the moment so im typing all of this from my fone so srry for any major mistakes. i hav two othr chappies uploaded and am revising them from my fone. so yay fo tht! **

**Cola320**


	3. Surprise!

**ok, i am sooooooo sorry for not updating in months. i hope you havent abandoned this story but if you have thats ok i understand. my computer is actually half way working now. so i can try to get some more chapters up and running. i have to run through this one again and the next one and if i dont run out of time today, i will try to get it up today or tomorrow, as a 'im sorry' kinda thing. so hope you arent gonna hate this, here it is.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: i dont own nothin**

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><p>"Come in." a voice sounded through the door, we pushed open the door and there sat Lord Elrond himself. We all bowed in respect.<p>

"What are all of you here for?" he asked getting straight to the point.

"We are here because of the ring, we know it is here and me and my people want to help in destroying it." I told him. I didn't know why we were speaking in the language of man, but I knew better than to go against a Lord's wishes.

"How could you know of the ring's arrival here? My daughter only just arrived a few hours ago."

"I fought off the Nazgul that were following her, and my people and I could feel its presence here. There was a small Halfling carrying the ring, was there not? Froto Baggins, I believe it was his name." I said to him. Elrond looked taken aback, then realization dawned on his face.

"Moraes." (shifters) he breathed, his eyes widening. Oddly enough, he did not look afraid. He merely looked like a small elf looking at a horse for the first time, curious and cautious, a good thing to be with my kind for we had temperament issues sometimes.

"Yes…." I trailed off. "Why are you not afraid? Most people are, we have not seen a friendly soul in the last fifty years." I said to him. "All of them have tried to kill us, the only kind ones we have ever seen in Gandalf the Grey and Aragorn, and we do not know their whereabouts at the moment."

Elrond's brow furrowed. "You define kindness by who tries to kill you and who doesn't?" he asked. Alanah shook her head.

"No, that's how we define decency. We define kindness by who runs from us and who tries to kill us." Alanah told him.

"Ah." he seemed to ponder this for a second before continuing. "There is a council to be held in three days. Whether elves, dwarves, men, or Halflings would like to admit it is irrelevant, Middle Earth needs you and your kind. Will you aid us on such a long journey to and from Mordor, are you willing to face Sauron for the ring?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes, I am." he nodded back.

"Very well then, I assume that one of you is the leader." Esther nodded and gestured to me, Elrond turned his gaze to me. "Is there anything you need for you and your people during their time here?" he asked. I nodded.

"If it's not too much to ask, new clothes, some food, and a safe place to sleep would be quite enough payment." Alanah elbowed me. "Ok, well maybe more than _some_ food." Alanah giggled slightly behind me. Elrond chuckled.

"I can see that your companions are a bit more than a little hungry as I'm sure the rest of your people are." he said. "Why don't you tell the rest of your people to come inside, I'm sure there is enough room for them somewhere." he paused and turned to me. "Tell me, has your numbers grown at all in the past ten thousand years?" he asked while leading us through the halls and out into a courtyard.

"No, actually, they haven't. We don't know why, but we are the same size as we were when we left these grounds." I turned to my friends. "Alanah, you and Esther go and get everyone. Lord Elrond and I have some talking to do." she nodded and they walked off to gather everyone. I turned back to Elrond.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Aditi." I replied.

"Free…" he murmured. "It fits, for your nature, doesn't it. Able to roam free, wherever you want with no boundaries." he asked. I nodded.

"From some points of view, yes. But from ours, not at all." I paused. "Think of it this way. Imagine you are immortal and nothing that you know of can kill you. That you are hated by almost every being out there. That the way you see it, there is no freedom in your lifestyle, you are doomed to walk Middle Earth for eternity. There is some comfort that you find in your friends, but none other than that. We have no home to call our own, we have hardly any allies, we are almost completely alone in this world. Almost no one rely on other than your own people." I finished looking out over the trees and seeing the valley below. It was beautiful, but nothing could really be seen to its fullest until myself and my people were free.

"Hmmm… I never thought of it that way, you have opened my eyes to a new possibility and for that, I thank you. Now, how about we see to getting some tents set up and some bedrolls and blankets set out for you and getting the cooks started." he said walking off, I trailed along behind him.

He asked some, what I assumed to be, guards to get nine tents set up in a meadow just outside the courtyard we had been talking in. He then asked the cooks to prepare a small feast. When they asked the occasion, he merely said there was a homecoming of important people. They had nodded and got straight to work. I wondered to myself if that meant we could finally come home to Rivendell. I wasn't sure and decided to ask Lord Elrond about it later, when there was time for such things.

"There are only nine of you, correct?" asked and I nodded. "You said that Gandalf the Grey was nowhere to be found?" he asked as Gandalf came around the corner.

"Gandalf!" I said running over to him and giving him a hug.

"Aditi, I am sorry I have not been around, but I had some important matters to attend to." he said.

"It's not me that will be mad with you, you might want to hide if Aaron or Haytham find out you're here." I laughed.

"If you'll excuse me, I've a meeting I can't be late to." Elrond said, hurrying off.

"Why do I get the feeling that he doesn't have a meeting to be at?" I asked Gandalf. He laughed with me.

"I am going to see Froto, if you want to join me and after we can go see the rest of the troublemakers. Now tell me, where is Alanah? Has she abandoned her sister?" he asked.

"She went with Esther to gather everyone from outside the gate where we left them to go inside." I said. Gandalf nodded and we continued to Froto Baggins room, catching up with each other along the way.

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><p><strong>ok, again, i am really sorry for all this time without an update. <strong>

**hoped you liked it, tell me how ya feel about it. kk? **

**Cola320**


	4. The Council: pt 1

**ok, here it is. its a little late, but its here anyway. **

**Disclaimer: i dont own nothin, except for Aditi and Alanah and Haytham and all those other ppl i created but havent named yet. also maybe the concept of the shifting elves that were thrown out. AND TWO CRAZY CATS THAT TRY AND EAT PPLS FEET. **

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><p>We returned a half hour later just as everyone was filing up the winding paths to Rivendell. We waited on them in the courtyard just outside the campsite.<p>

Just as I suspected, Haytham and Aaron were upset that Gandalf hadn't come to see them in years, but understood why he couldn't have.

Gandalf was surrounded by my people, all overjoyed to see him. I sat back and laughed as he almost fell over in the midst of them. His eyes pleaded for me to help him and after about ten minutes, I told everyone to let the _old_ wizard breathe and rest. Gandalf just looked at me in mock exasperation, which I found amusing.

The next two days were spent either with Gandalf, at our campsite, talking with Elrond, or sparring. We were weary of the newcomers, which were here for the council. Many were elves- from Mirkwood and Lorien-, most of the rest were Dwarves, and the remaining few were humans. We were hardly ever seen by others, for we stayed in the only ones that were aware that we were there were the Halflings, Gandalf, and Elrond.

We hardly slept, what with the ring being so near. It made us restless. So, we played war games during the night. Such as capture the flag or various other attack/stealth games.

At dawn on the third day, Gandalf and I were talking quietly beside Froto's bed when he moaned quietly. Our murmurings ceased and our attention turned to the Halfling. He moaned again and rolled over, rolling off the bed. I caught him before he hit the floor and gently set him back on the soft bed. His blue eyes fluttered open and stared at me, he blinked as I sat back in my chair. He looked over to Gandalf and smiled slightly, Gandalf smiled a bit back.

"Gandalf, who is that?" Froto asked quietly, so quietly that even a normal elf wouldn't have heard.

"My name is Aditi, young one. It looks as if you're alive after all." I said smiling. Then more to myself, "Haytham owes me horse duty for a month." Gandalf looked to me.

"Haytham bet against you? Is something wrong with him?" he asked chuckling slightly.

"He may be loosing faith in me yet, Gandalf. He thinks my gift is receding now that Sauron is rising." I said quietly.

"Yes, I can see what he means, not a foolish thought at all, but now is not the time for such things. We must get Frodo here a proper meal, he has not eaten a good meal in a week or more. Aditi, will you take Frodo to the hall and get him something? I must tell Elrond of his awakening." he asked me, I smiled.

"Of course, Gandalf, I want to get to know the small ring-bearer. Come Frodo, I can get your friends if you'd like." I said to him, helping him out of bed and letting him use me as a sort of crutch as we walked out of the bedroom.

"M'lady, did you say your name was Aditi?" he asked softly. I smiled down at him and nodded.

"Call me by my name, I have no royal blood in me and have lived in the wilderness most of my life, young one." he frowned and looked up at me, confused.

"Young one, but you look much younger than me. Not even twenty-five i would guess." I smiled down at him.

"I am almost five thousand years old. Much older than you, I'm afraid."

"Oh," he paused, letting what I had told him sink in. "Aditi, is that elvish for something?" he asked.

"The Elvish translation of it is Mirima which means free." I told the young Halfling. He nodded. "But, I prefer Aditi, has a nicer ring to it, don't you think?" I asked him. I smiled down at him and he smiled back, nodding again. He looked to the path in front of us.

"You are an elf?" I nodded. "You act differently than the elves I have seen in my brief time here, more roughly and edgy, and you don't speak Elvish all the time. And your hair is golden instead of almost white. Are you the only one?" he said. My, this small Halfling is very observant.

"You are right, I am different. Froto, may I ask you something?" I asked. He nodded. "Do you know much of your people's history and tales?"

"Yes, when you have Bilbo Baggins as an uncle , you hear many stories." he laughed lightly.

"Are there any tales that you have heard that include shape-shifters?" I asked and he thought for a moment.

"Yes, yes there is, I heard it as a boy. It is used to teach children what evils there are in the outside world." I nodded, a bit pained by this.

We had been kind to the Halflings of Hobbiton and The Shire, protecting them from outside dangers, and in return, they gave us food and shelter. But all good things come to an end; an evil came upon The Shire, it scorched some of the fields, but my people and I fought it off. We drove it back from whence it came, deep into the misty mountains and into the depths of Moria. I dare not think its name or even of its kind.

When we came back victorious, we expected a reward for driving away the demon, but when we arrived, they blamed the demon's arrival in The Shire on us. They told us to leave and never come back, so we did, seeing nothing else left there for us.

"What is it that your people told you of this tale?" I asked.

"That the shifters were once elves that could change shape and were good to us, but had a sudden change of heart and brought a demon to The Shire. The demon then turned on the elves and they had to drive it back into the mountains. The people in Hobbiton said it was over a thousand years ago that this happened, when we lived in fear of dragons burning down fields and snatching whole herds that were in the open." he told me. I nodded processing this.

"Do you believe it?" I asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had formed while I was thinking.

"Believe what?" he asked, surprised at my sudden outburst.

"The tale of the Shifters and the Demon."

"It is just an old wives tale, nothing more." he said. I nodded.

-o-o-0-o-o-

We looked for the other hobbits for a while longer, but found no sign of them so I led him to the dining hall where I found him bread, butter, a small piece of meat, and a small mug of water. After he was full, we returned to his room. I told him to rest and that I would be in the gardens we had passed through if he should happen to need me.

I walked out into the gardens and sat beneath a rather large tree, ignoring the bench not ten yards away from where I sat. The sun was bright and the day fair, the breeze was cool and refreshing. The shade was a nice relief from the heat of the sun. I sat back and enjoyed the warmth and coolness caressing my face.

I don't know how long I sat there, but soon the sun was high in the sky and the morning had gone, leaving me with the heat of midday and barely any breeze. I sighed and looked to the sky, the bright sun beautiful at it's noon position. Noon! I gasped, realizing that the council was to begin in a very short hour. I had to find Gandalf immediately.

I scrambled up and to our encampment.

"Alanah!" I called. She ran up to me, a wondering look on her face. "We must find Gandalf now! He knows where it is, have you seen him?" I asked in a rushed voice, speaking fast even for me.

"He just passed, said to meet him in the courtyard." she responded. I nodded and grabbed two dark cloaks, I threw one to Alanah.

"Put it on, we don't want a all out war when we walk in, now do we?" We slipped on our cloaks and pulled up the hoods. We baoth rushed out to the courtyard and saw Gandalf. He led us to a terrace, there was a half-circle of chairs around three larger chairs. One for Elrond, I suppose. Another for a scribe. And and extra one. For who? I wonder.

Most of the chairs were filled when we stepped in the room. Murmurs stopped as they saw us. One of the most powerful- if not THE most powerful- wizards in Middle Earth and two opposing black cloaks. We three filled in the chairs furthest away from anyone else, on the end. Gandalf was on the end, then Alanah, and then me. The seat beside me was never filled.

As we waited on everyone else to file in, I pulled out a dagger and took to cleaning it.

"You know, lad, there weren't supposed to be any weapons here today." said a fat red headed and reed bearded dwarf. Before I spoke, i lowered my voice that of a young teenage boy.

"Well, Red-Beard," I said, without looking up. "You could tell the same to yourself. Your ax is very prominent upon your back, and that short sword is sticking out of your purse." I said looking up innocently.

"It's called a satchel, lad." Red-Beard corrected.

"No matter what you call it, the short sword is still very noticeable." I retorted. His face turned the color of a tomato, then he burst into a hearty laugh.

"I like you, lad. If I didn't, I might be offended. But good go, lad, good go." he walked away, still chuckling to himself. I sighed and laughed quietly.

"Dwarves, a very queer group of midgets. Very gay with drinking, very gay indeed." I chuckled to myself. The room was finally filled.

"Attention! Peoples of Middle Earth, the one ring has been found!" Elrond announced in a kingly voice. "We are gathered here to decide what will be done with it." Murmurs erupted all around. "Quiet." No response. "Quiet!" Everyone quieted down. Elrond turned to Frodo and his voice and look softened. "Bring the Ring, Frodo."

The little Halfling looked terrified, but got up and removed the thing from his pocket. He set it upon a stone pedestal in the center where Elrond was standing. Frodo quickly scurried back to his seat. I could feel everyone's want for this despicable thing, especially the men's. My head fell into my hands, a rock-splitting pounding pain overcame me and for a second, I couldn't hear anything but the horrible echoing menace of the Ring calling to me. Telling me how I would be punished for every crime I had committed against the Ring if i did not bring it to Sauron.

Gandalf shook my shoulder and threw a small bit of powder in my face, which I inhaled. I snapped out of the trance induced by the Ring and sat up. Everyone was staring at the Ring. The Ring no doubt whispering of riches worth a hundred kingdoms that would all be theirs if only they brought the Ring to its master.

A man stood, he had dark strawberry blonde hair and a regal stance, but it did not fit. This, I realized, was one of the Steward of Gondor's son. Boromir, would be my guess.

"What a great gift the fates have bestowed upon us!" He exclaimed. "The great Ring of power, a weapon against our enemies. Such a honor!" He said as he slowly approached the pedestal. I stood, making myself known to all and letting the deeper voice fade away into my normal voice.

"Have you gone mad? The Ring is not a _gift_ as you call it. It is a burden of tremendous proportions!" I told him.

"Have _I_ gone mad? Have _I_ gone _mad_? Clearly, it is not me who has gone mad here. It is you! How do you not see the wonder of this great gift? Protection, boy! Protection for Gondor who has kept the rest of Middle Earth safe since Sauron was defeated! And at the cost of our own people, nonetheless! You owe me and my city this, your own people, to agree with us." he hissed. I laughed at this man, who so clearly thought I was a human boy. "What do you laugh at,_ boy_?" he spat the sentence. My laughter stopped short. No one, and I mean _no one_ spoke to me that way.

"Who and what do you think I am, _human_?" I spat right back. He shrunk back. Aragorn saved this man's life by butting in on that exact moment.

"They are right, the Ring cannot be used." he announced. "It must be destroyed." The man turned on him.

"And what would a ranger know of this?" The man spat. He tends to do a lot of spatting. Hmmm... spatting... I shall have to consult Gandalf over whether or not 'spatting' was a word.

As I returned to my seat, a blonde haired elf stood angrily. "This is no simple ranger! This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, _heir_ to the throne of Gondor." he announced to the council and to the 'spatting' man.

"_Havo dad, Legolas._" ( Sit down, Legolas. ) Aragorn told the elf, Legolas. Legolas complied. The 'spatting' man sneered at both Aragorn and Legolas.

"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." he spat, yet again and finally returned to his seat. I growled lowly, but before anyone could pick up on the sound, Alanah shoved her elbow into my side. Needless to say, my complaint about the 'spatting' man's words was cut short. Elrond chose this moment to start a speech on how the ring should be destroyed.

"The Ranger is right, the Ring must be destroyed." Elrond was cut off, Red-Beard taking this as his cue to rise and speak.

"Then let's be done with it!" he said, charging the Ring. I knew what would happen and felt sympathy for the dwarf. So much so that I moved into his path, grabbing the hilt of his ax before it descended onto the Ring. It effectively stopped the dwarf's attack on the Ring.

"Don't. It can't be destroyed with anything we possess here." the dwarf only stares, not reacting, not speaking. I felt a slight breeze moving my hair.

_My hair_.

_My hood._

_It's gone._

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><p><strong>Ok, a bit of a cliffie there. so... sorry for any misspellings, mistakes, blah, blah, blah. so, anyway. im a bit late again. but ive had immediate family in the hospital and crap. nothin <strong>**especially horrid. **

**ok it might be a while until next chappie it up so pls pls pls be patient with me. im crazy. **

**Cola32o **


	5. The Council: pt 2

**first off, i want to apologize for not updating in a month or so. life has been horrid lately, and im struggling to keep up with my training, this, and my art-which i need to get forty drawings done by next monday and i still have about fifteen to do. so, so very sorry. **

**second of all, i want to thank my new reviewers. such as Cretha Loesing and the amazing Anonymous reviewer that gave me encouragement. and to Cretha Loesing i strive for my stories to be different, "interesting", and one of a kind to all the people who take the time to read my stories. and to viper marie cahill who was the only one to review on my first two chappies. i only hope VMC hasnt lost interest or thought i was discontinuing it. **

**so, without further adieu ( except for the diclaimer ), here is the story. **

**Disclaimer: i dont own anything lotr. but i DO own some crackers, a cookie, and neon snowman blanket. **

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><p>The wind whipped through my loose hair, everyone had frozen in their seats. They all focused on me. The elves, the dwarves, the men, and I heard a small rustling in the bushes where I had suspected the hobbits were hiding.<p>

"A _woman_? Who allowed a _woman_ into this meeting? This is a place of council, for men _only_. Men are the only ones _capable_ of making these kinds of important decisions. So, I suggest you take your leave now, miss." The 'spatting' man sneered. This is what set me off.

"You _dare_ question one who knows more, has seen more, and is ten times your puny age? I do not appreciate your accusations against me or my gender. If you knew half or the things I have done, half the people I have saved, you would be on your knees. Begging for my forgiveness, groveling until you could grovel no more. So, I suggest you _sit down_, you ungrateful _man_. And await your turn to speak again." I hissed so menacingly, he backed up and fell into his chair, wide-eyed. I glared at this man once more, before turning and sitting back down into my seat, pulling my hood up and over my head.

Elrond looked at me surprised, but continued on like the lord he was.

"Aditi is correct. The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." Elrond announced. The man I practically forced to sit down took this as his turn to stand and speak.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand men could you do this. It is folly." he spoke loudly, and I knew most of this to be true. Legolas then also stood to speak.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!" he said forcefully. Red-Beard- or rather- Gimli then stood and spoke his mind.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" he asked Legolas angrily, appalled that an elf would even dare suggest it.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" the human said again.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Gimli shouted, and with that, the elves and dwarves stood, on the verge of battle with only a few keeping them separated. "Never trust an Elf!" Gimli shouted again.

Gandalf stood and tried to break them up along with Alanah, but only got sucked into the argument as well. Elrond was also busy arguing with someone obscured from my view. Aragorn was also arguing with someone I could not see. Frodo and I were the only ones that remained in our seats, somewhat peaceful compared to the others. Then Frodo stood as well.

"I will take it!" the small ring-bearer shouted but was yet to be heard over the noise the others were making. He looked to be starting to say it again but I laid my hand on his shoulder and held up my hand, signaling to wait. I then stood from my seat, throwing my hood back.

"Quiet!" I shouted, but the mob ignored me. I took a deep breath, "QUIET!" I shouted again and this time they all stopped and turned to me. "The ring-bearer has something to say." I told all of them. I looked down to Frodo and nodded. He took a deep breath.

"I will take the ring to Mordor...though, I do not know the way." he said quietly. Gandalf smiled and stepped forward.

" I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, for as long as it is yours to bear." he said, moving to stand behind him. Aragorn stepped forward and bowed before Frodo.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." Aragorn spoke then rose to stand behind him also.

"And you have my bow." Legolas said.

"And _my_ axe." Gimli also joined the group.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done." the human spoke once again. I then stood and knelt in front of the Halfling, smiling.

"Well, my small friend, I think this Fellowship will need a feminine touch before the end. Don't you?" he smiled back at me and nodded. "Then I give you all i have to offer; my bow, sword, and most important of all, I pledge to you my life. Should you ever find use for it, just call for me and I will be there." I finished in a more serious tone. I then also stood and moved to stand behind the ring-bearer.

"Oi, Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!" A hobbit, who I guessed was Samwise Gamgee, said rushing out from behind a pillar. Elrond half-way smiled.

"No, indeed, especially when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Elrond said to Sam.

"We're coming, too!" said another hobbit, hopping out of the bushes behind Frodo's chair. I suppose this one was Meriadoc Brandybuck. "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Another Halfling hopped out behind him. And this would have to be Peregrin Took.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... quest... thing." Peregrin or Pippin- as they called him- said. Elrond looked mildly surprised at the hobbits emerging from the bushes.

"That rules _you_ out, Pip." Meriadoc or Merry, said. I laughed softly, and Alanah caught my eye, silently asking to join me. I nodded.

"I will also join them, my sister will not have all the fun." she said quietly, coming to stand beside me. Elrond looked us all over, nodding in approval.

"Eleven companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring." he told us all. I nodded.

"Great! Where are we going?" Pippin asked cheerily. I laughed at the small Halfling. Already walking off from the council, Alanah behind me.

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><p>It had been a few weeks since the council and all of the fellowship had been training for the long journey. Alanah and I waited on the rest of the fellowship in the front courtyard. They eventually trickled in, Gandalf and Frodo being the last two to arrive. We moved out of the way, standing next to a ledge next to a waterfall.<p>

"Where are those two women?" the 'spatting' man, who's name I learned was Boromir asked to no one in particular.

"We women are behind you, genius." I said, cleaning my dagger. He jumped and spun around. "You know, one would think that a _man_ of your stature would be more observant, being the son of the Steward and a warrior of Gondor. Surveillance would be a prime skill to learn, especially for a warrior." I smirked at Boromir.

"Well... I... You weren't there when I walked up." he concluded, looking quite proud of himself.

"Yes, yes. How stupid of me to forget! How could I forget us hanging of the side of this ledge, next to a waterfall, more then two hundred feet from the bottom? And how skilled of us to not get wet from said waterfall, and then climb up the extremely slick stone, over said stone and behind you without making a single noise. All of this just to startle you." I said rolling my eyes.

"Yes, exactly what I suspected." he said obviously ignoring the heavy sarcasm coating every single word I have said, which infuriated me to no end.

"I will have you kno-" Alanah clamped her hand over my mouth before I could give this idiot, sexist moron what he deserved, so I settled with giving him my best death glare. He inched away from me and over next to Aragorn, where he then leaned over and asked Aragorn a question.

"How does someone so small and innocent become so evil?" he asked quietly, Aragorn chuckled.

"With many years of practice." he answered. "But, if you are nice to her, she might return the favor." Boromir nodded and walked away.

Gandalf took this as his cue to take us all down to the border of the city and the wilderness beyond, which I knew every detail of. Every tree, every path, every rock, and every boulder. It was here that Gandalf stopped and turned to us.

"This is your last chance to back down, no one will blame you for this is a dangerous and grave journey. Past me, is a world of great danger and malice, filled with dark and evil creatures ready to extend their claws and fangs on anyone who gets in their way to the ring and its bearer. I give you this last chance to back down and be safe from misery, fear, and peril which is sure to follow us through our entire journey. So I ask you, are you strong enough to face these dangers?" he asked us, making eye contact with each of us in turn.

I stepped forward, through the group and looked at Gandalf. He nodded and smiled slightly; I looked ahead towards the wilderness I knew so well.

I didn't look back.

I took the step forward that sealed my fate and I never once looked back.

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><p><strong>Thanks. review please. <strong>

**Cola320**


	6. Spies

**ok, so im up to NINE reviews now and i am soooooo happy. i k****now it doesnt seem like much but its the most ive ever gotten on a story. like EVER!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own anything lotr, but i used to own two boxes of cheez-its and a twelve pack of cokes. **

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><p>It had been weeks since we left Rivendell and Imladris behind. I missed its beauty, but kept my mind on the task at hand, for the sake of the fellowship.<p>

Alanah and I had pulled our hoods over our heads the minute we were out of the realm of Elrond, we didn't want anyone recognizing us. We had less friends than foes.

Minutes turned into hours, hours into days, days into weeks. We had passed over plane and forest alike, until we came upon a ruin I had seen before but did not know the name of. I cared not about names of ruins; I cared for what lurked in and around such places of desolation, for it was almost never good.

We had decided to stop and rest until the next day, for we hadn't had much rest since we left Imladris. It had yet to darken into night, and Sam was cooking something that smelled delicious, sausage perhaps. Alanah was sprawled out beside me, asleep. Gandalf and Aragorn sat a few yards away, smoking. Legolas was on look-out duty, but was watching Boromir teach Merry and Pippin how to defend themselves. Frodo sat by himself, also watching the man and the two Halflings. Gimli was sitting near Sam, watching him cook.

Boromir had been nicer to myself and Alanah, so we were on speaking terms.

"We must hold to his course west of the misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east, to Mordor." Gandalf said to Aragorn, Aragorn nodded

I watched Legolas, he laughed when Boromir was attacked by Merry and Pippin. The small men pinned him to the ground, and they began wrestling. I laughed as Merry and Pippin sat atop the larger man, pinning him to the ground. Everyone looked at me, almost as if they were surprised that I could laugh.

I shrugged as if saying, 'I can not help it.' Aragorn laughed, as did Gandalf. Alanah woke then, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. she looked around at us laughing.

"Nin lu ei ui faeg." (My timing is always poor.) she muttered grumpily. I chuckled at her words.

"What is that?" Sam asked looking into the distance. A large flock of birds flies towards us and my eyes widened. Alanah looks to the flock as well and her reaction is similar to mine. We scramble off the rock we were lounging on.

"Just a wisp of cloud, nothing more." Gimli says, turning back to the fire.

"It is moving fast...against the wind." Boromir says, turning toward the 'cloud'. He takes a step forward.

Legolas has been watching us and our reactions, and his eyes widen in realization. "Crebain from Dunland!" he shouts.

"Hide and put out the fire!" I yell, throwing packs into the brush. Sam quickly doused the fire and ran quickly to hide in the rocks. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gandalf disappear into the rocks. Gimli is no where in sight and Merry and Pippin are hiding. Frodo is looking for a place to hide and I run to him quickly and push him into a crevice with only enough room for him. He looks at me with fear. I smile and run toward the rocks, looking over my shoulder in the process. No on is in sight. I dive forward, quickly morphing into a small, sickly skinny wolf.

The Crebain pass over me and dive down towards me, digging their beaks into my flesh. I howl in faux pain. I snap at the cursed birds, growling and barking at them. They fly away with disinterest and continue on their path, back towards where they came from; they most likely were going to report to their master their findings.

I trotted over to a large rock and leapt from edge to edge until I reached the top. I watched the Crebain until they were out of sight fading into the distance. Their direction made me wary, for they were heading towards Isenguard. Gandalf had been hiding something from me, and I was planning to find out what it was soon enough.

I jumped from the rock to the ground close to twenty feet below. I ran back towards the camp and slowed to a stalking walk as I walked forward into the camp as the fellowship slowly came out from hiding. They slowly and cautiously made their way to where the fire had been and gathered around it. Gandalf was still emerging from the rock he had hidden in. I trotted over to him.

He was caught off guard as I reached him and pointed his staff at me. I growled pointedly at him and the others became aware of my presence. They rushed over to us, swords and arrows being drawn. I laughed deep in my chest, something unheard of from a normal wolf. Gandalf lowered his staff quickly noting that I was not among the group and knowing it was something I did often in wolf form.

"Ah, all mighty wolf! Why do you grace us with your presence?" he asked chuckling. I narrowed my eyes and growled at him to show him my seriousness. I then spoke into the minds of everyone around me.

_'Gandalf the Grey, it seems we meet again.' _I kept up the pretense of knowing no one. I would not like anyone to know who or what I am for, as I have said before, my people are feared and hated almost everywhere.

"Yes, it seems we do. What do you wish to speak of as of late?" he asked, all hint of laughter gone.

_'I was attacked by the Crebain. I want..no, _need_ to know why they are here. I have lived on these plains for many years, since I was a mere pup and Crebain have never been here. They were sent and I want to know who they were sent by.'_ I also disguised my voice to make it sound more rustic and wild. I let my true inner voice shine through.

"Gandalf! What is the meaning of this?" Boromir called. I whipped around to face him and stare him down.

_'Son of the Steward. How nice to finally meet you. I have heard many things about you, none of which are good.'_ I am quite good at lying, I must to gather food and clothing without arising suspicion for my people. It is not an easy task. I turned my attention back to Gandalf.

"I am almost positive that Saruman sent the Crebain to watch over this stretch of land. They were off to report their findings back to their master, I suppose." he said. I nodded my large head and turned, looking for an escape route. I saw one between the legs of Gimli. It would be a tight squeeze considering his short stature, but made my decision nonetheless.

I dated forward through Gimli's legs, and he almost caught my tail with his ax but I was too quick and I darted off into the rocks, planning to enter back into the camp in a few minutes.

Once I made sure no one had followed me, I quickly morphed back into my elvish form and jogged back to the encampment. They were all still on edge, waitiing for myself to come back I suppose. In elf form or in wolf form, either way. I sat down on a small rock and stretched, acting as if I had been in a cramped space for a while.

"Aditi! Where have ya been, lass? We'd been 'fraid the wolf had gotten ya!" Gimli thundered. I laughed.

"What wolf, Gimli? We were almost attacked by birds not wolves. Is your eyesight going? That's just what we need, a blind dwarf! Stumbling and bumbling about, making even more noise than he does now!" I laughed and everyone else joined in, even Gimli. I suppose the mental image was too much for him.

Once everyone had calmed down, Gandalf walked over to me. I could tell he wanted to have a quick and private conversation.

"Aditi, we have decided to take the pass of Caradhras. Our passage south is being watched." I nodded.

"Yes, only one way to make it to the other side intact. I must warn you Gandalf, Saruman will try to force us down into Moria. And I am not sure if I can best the beast again, for we are sure to wake it." I spoke lowly and quickly.

"If we are forced into the mines, you are not to use your nature. I do not believe it time to show the fellowship quite yet. I do know that we will pass through Lorien, I want Alanah to stay there with Lady Galadriel. She must hone her skills, as you have over the years. She is not yet ready to be on this journey, and I sense...I sense that she will find something there worth staying for. Though, I do not know what." he said with urgency.

"I will use my nature if it is a situation of life or death. I will not hold back. And I agree, Alanah is not yet ready for something of this magnitude." I agreed and disagreed with the wizard at the same time.

"Aditi, if something shall happen to myself, Aragorn and Alanah will not be enough to protect you from the others wrath! I forbid you to use your nature for my or anyone else's benefit in the mines of Moria, if we so happen to be forced into its depths. Understand?"

"Gandalf..." he cut me off.

"Understand?!" he asked again strongly.

"Yes." I sighed.

"Good. Now we are to make it as far as we can into the mountains today, so I suggest you get your things together." he said and walked off. I went off to find my things and get them ready. I feared that we would not make it to the other side without going through Moria and that would most certainly mean the death of one of us, most likely myself or Gandalf. We were the only ones who stood a chance of killing or holding off the demon of fire. Our chances of staying together are thinning and the fellowships success is standing on the edge of a dagger; if we stray but a little the whole would could fall into darkness and my people would die. The more I thought about it, the more likely it became that my kind's lives depended on the rings fate. If it was destroyed, we would survive. But if it survived, then we were the ones destroyed.

I thought of Aaron and Haytham, playful and childish. Playing like children any chance they got, but if the ring was not destroyed, they would die and I would hold myself responsible in the afterlife. I would hold myself responsible for anything that happened to my people or the fellowship because I would know that I could have done something to prevent it.

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><p><strong>So sorry it's been so long, school started back and then swimming started back and now i have a crap load of homework every night, but I will try to update as soon as I can next time. <strong>

**Cola320**


	7. The Fall

**ten reviews! im soo excited! yall are so amazing.**

**special thanks to:**

**superkiran  
>Flyleaf Lover 13<br>cwatker222  
>MinNinniach<br>****Wittmann the Tiger Ace  
>Cretha Loesing<br>viper marie Cahill**

**and my two guest reviewers. :) **

**Disclaimer: I dont own anything lotr, but i do own a caramel brownie with nuts.****sorry for any mistakes whether it be spelling or grammar or something totally unexpected. idk. **

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><p>We were in the Misty Mountains, the snow coming down lightly. A promise of what was to come later on in the day. We had gotten an early start, the Halflings were still quite asleep and were stumbling along in front of myself and Aragorn and behind the others. Frodo was the only one remotely awake and he still staggered often.<p>

Frodo suddenly tripped and fell, sliding down the snow and ice covered rock. Aragorn caught him before he slid past him and stood him up. Frodo looked around frantically after feeling around his neck. The Ring! I looked around until my eyes landed on Boromir, who was holding it up in the sunlight. It gleamed, seemingly pure and innocent which was the polar opposite of its true nature.

"Boromir?" I asked cautiously. He made no move to tell me that he had heard; then, he spoke, but his words were not his own. Sauron was planting the seed of evil in his mind.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...such a little thing," he spoke to himself. I could feel the watching eyes- or _eye_- of something evil watching us, but I dare not speak of it yet, Gandalf had enough on his mind already.

"Boromir, give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn warned softly. I could hear the Ring's chants and my form wavered as it did when I was keeping myself from shifting, which happened often when I was angry or agitated. A low growl sounded deep in my chest, Alanah swiftly turned to me with wide eyes. She dashed over to me as the chanting stopped and I fell to my knees in the snow. The sudden anger had left me as soon as it had came, I needed to keep my distance from the Ring is was affecting and draining. I groaned in pain as my head started pounding, it felt as if someone was bashing my head in with a goblin club (I speak from experience, but _that_ is a completely different story for another day).

"Aditi! My sister, are you ill?" Alanah asked urgently. I could hear her underlying question, but I refused to worry her. I pushed the pain aside as any good leader does and stood, waving her off.

"I am fine, I reassure you. I am just not used to the sudden cold. It is nothing, a mere head-pain," I lied smoothly. There was doubt in her eyes, but I could tell she believed me anyway. I let out a sigh of relief.

Our moment to ourselves had gone unnoticed to the rest of the fellowship, for which I was thankful. Her eyes showed doubt but also belief. She nodded and walked ahead and I followed slowly. I hoped no one could notice my pain as I walked behind the fellowship. Aragorn, Boromir, Sam, and Frodo had dissolved their problem and were walking ahead of me, trying to catch up to Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, and Gimli. They hadn't noticed Frodo slip and fall.

I continued walking, content being behind the group at the moment. I could hear the light footsteps of Legolas on the snow behind me, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back, which wasn't hard considering my size. He turned me to face him.

"Aditi, I know I haven't known you long, but I can tell when a friend is in pain," he told me. We had often talked while the Hobbits were training in Rivendell and quickly became close friends. I told him everything I could about my past without telling him about my heritage, but I found it hard to lie to him. "Tell me, _mellon_. What is hurting you and I promise I will do all in my power to help." I looked up into his eyes and I thought I saw something other than worry flash in his eyes, but it was gone before I could identify it.

"My head," I said quietly. "I could hear what the Ring was saying to Boromir, although I doubted he understood what it meant," I looked to the ground. "It wasn't meant for him, Legolas. The words were meant for me, he chanted over and over and over inside both Boromir's and my head," I looked toward the Fellowship. "Le ava fir bo nin conu," (You will die on my command,) I mumbled. "Twas his voice, Legolas. His voice that told me I was to die on his command." I looked up into his eyes again and that emotion flashed across his eyes again, but slower this time. Slow enough so that I could identify what it was.

What? Could it be? No. It couldn't be, why would a prince like him feel something like that towards me? A commoner. An outsider.

How could Legolas feel something like love towards me?

I wasn't sure I was ready to face that yet. A fiery demon twenty times my size made in the depths of somewhere-that-I-won't-mention, sure I'll take it on. No sweat. Facing my feelings, forget about it. Absolutely not. I suppose you wonder what I'm speaking of, it was not myself who had been caught with 'love in their eyes'. It was Legolas, yes. I am merely saying that if his eyes are telling the truth, that I... may... return his feelings. May! I'm not completely positive yet about my feelings towards Legolas.

During my inner-rant, Legolas had almost dragged me to follow the Fellowship up the mountain, as he had lost sight of them not seconds before. We had caught up with them a few minutes later, but no one had noticed our absence. They were all talking among themselves quietly in pairs of two or three. They trudged quietly through the snow, their whispers like caressing breezes.

Legolas quickly made his way to the front of the group again, leaving me at the back with only my thoughts for company. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that i didn't hear Legolas or Gandalf shouting about Saruman's voice trying to bring down the mountain. So, as you can imagine, I was completely caught off guard when the boulders started raining from the sky.

Everyone rushed to the inside of the mountain. Well, everyone _but_ me. Me? Oh, I simply stood in place like an idiot, watching the huge rocks hurtle towards me at lethal speeds. I briefly wondered if I could survive being squashed, as I had never been in such a predicament before today, but those thoughts were quickly forgotten as the first piece of mountain crashed into our small path. I stumbled back, my mind was becoming unfocused and slow. I couldn't process what was happening around me, everything was in slow motion and I was frozen in place. I could faintly hear the fellowship yelling at me to join them next to the mountain face, but I couldn't move. Then, things took another turn for the worse.

Everything sped up around me, back to normal speeds, but I still couldn't move. I now noticed the fell voice, but its words suddenly changed. Even though I was an elf, I couldn't understand the elvish that Saruman was casting. My body jerked and my head snapped up, looking at a boulder that was heading straight towards me.

I finally broke out of my trance, shrieked and barely stumbled out of the way of the rock. But, alas, I was not fast enough and the boulder caught my left foot under it and I howled in pain as I felt the bone break underneath the weight. I guess we _could_ be crushed. The boulder rolled off the small path and tumbled down the mountain and somehow took me over the edge with it.

I frantically groped the side of the mountain for something to grab onto. I finally found a tiny ledge just big enough for my fingers to grip onto and clung to it for dear life. There was another rumble from above and a huge sheet of snow cascaded over the edge of the path. If this much was coming over the side, how much was piled on the ledge? I worried for my companions, then I remembered my predicament. Not once did it ever cross my mind to _shift into a bird and fly back up_. No, of course not.

I faintly heard them digging themselves out of the snow. Aragorn was searching frantically through the snow. I could tell it was him by his gait as he ran between spots where he dug, searching for the rest of the fellowship. I knew it wouldn't be long before they discovered my absence.

"Aragorn!" I called desperately. "Aragorn! Legolas! Gandalf! Someone, please!" I shrieked.

"Aditi? Where are you?" Aragorn called back.

"Come to the edge," I instructed. He followed my instructions. "Look down!" I called up again, and he did as he was told. His eyes widened.

"Aditi, what are you doing down there?" he called down. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, you know, just hanging around! What do you think I'm doing?" I shouted. He just sighed and walked out of sight. My fingers started to go numb and slipped a bit. "Aragorn! I'm sorry! Just please! Hel-" I was cut off by my fingers slipping off the edge of the ledge. I screamed as I fell into the mist below.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, I know that it's been an extremely long time since i updated, and for that i am sorry. i wont make any excuses, so i hope you'll forgive me. i'll try and update sooner, especially cause it's a bit of a cliff-e. <strong>

**Cola320**


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